Preview: San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Here is a synopsis of what to expect Sunday when the 49ers (2-6) host the Atlanta Falcons (6-2):

TV/RADIO

Fox Ch. 2: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale

680-AM, 107.7-FM

LINE

Falcons by 7 (49ers haven’t been favored in any game this season)

MATCHUP TO WATCH

49ers CBs vs. Falcons WR Julio Jones. Kenneth Acker (concussion) could miss his first game this season, and his replacement could be Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser or Jimmie Ward. The 49ers could assign Tramaine Brock on Jones but that hasn’t been the 49ers’ style. Jones already has a NFL-best 70 catches, or more than twice as many as the 49ers’ leading receiver, Anquan Boldin (31). Jones will look to scorch the 49ers defense the way so many veteran receivers have, including the Steelers’ Antonio Brown, the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald, the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. and the Ravens’ Steve Smith Jr.

STAT TO LIVE BY

Blaine Gabbert completed 82.1 percent of his preseason passes. Can he be anywhere close to that accurate in his first start in two years?

SERIES

49ers lead 46-30-1

LAST MEETING

In a rematch of the NFC Championship Game 11 months earlier, the 49ers closed out Candlestick Park with a 34-24 triumph on Monday Night Football on Dec. 23, 2013. NaVorro Bowman sealed that win with The Pick At The ‘Stick, an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

FAB FIVE

The only five 49ers still in the starting lineup from that 2012 season’s NFC Championship Game at Atlanta are Bowman, outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, fullback Bruce Miller and offensive linemen Joe Staley and Alex Boone. The only Falcons starters remaining are Jones, fellow wide receiver Roddy White, quarterback Matt Ryan, defensive lineman Justin Babineaux and safety William Moore.

Those 49ers are also their only starters remaining from last year’s Week 9 game, aside from Bowman being out and nose tackle Ian Williams being in; Anquan Boldin was in last year’s Week 9 lineup but might miss a second straight game Sunday with a hamstring issue.

RUN STOPPERS

The 49ers state they still want to be a run-oriented offense after the QB switch, and they’ll encounter the league’s third-best rushing defense in the Falcons (83.4 yards per game). DeMarco Murray, Arian Foster and Alfred Morris – three running backs who crested the 1,000-yard mark last season – failed to rush for more than 15 yards in their games against the Falcons.

BY THE NUMBERS

3: Consecutive games won by the 49ers vs. a NFC South opponent

9: Sacks by Aaron Lynch in the 49ers’ last nine home games

10: Consecutive losses Gabbert has suffered as a starter since his last win, Sept. 23, 2012 at Indianapolis

10: Sacks by the Falcons defense, second-fewest in the league

97: Touchdown passes thrown by Matt Ryan since 2012, seventh-most in the league

103: Yards receiving last week by Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme

825: Points the 49ers have allowed at home since 2009, the league’s fewest in that span. They’ve yielded 3, 17, 20 and 20 in their four games earlier this season.

FANTASY IMPLICATIONS

Activating any 49ers player is a risky proposition considering they haven’s scored a touchdown the past two games. … While the running-back situation is most mysterious, Torrey Smith might be a popular target for Gabbert, who may not have Anquan Boldin (hamstring) as a safety outlet. … Devonta Freeman, who’s run for a NFL-best 709 yards and nine touchdowns, will face a 49ers defense that last week allowed its most rushing yards (197) since 2009. … While Jones could purge on the 49ers’ generous secondary, perhaps this is a long-awaited breakout game for Roddy White (no 100-yard game this season, 16 catches in the last seven games).

WEATHER FACTOR

Morning showers are expected and could make for slick conditions on Levi’s Stadium’s ever-suspect sod. Temperatures in the 60s with 10 to 15 mph winds.